Still green

If there are questions whether Wal-Mart's green phase was just that, this article seems to dispel the notion. Wal-Mart executive Lee Scott seems more committed to environmental friendly actions, not less.


Scott launched the first stage of Wal-Mart's sustainability campaign last year and set the agenda for big business by announcing a goal of one day using only renewable energy and creating zero waste.


This does flavor the public perception of Wal-Mart, and to the good. The question is whether people think about these issues when they decide to turn into Target or Wal-Mart. If they don't, Lee Scott's good intentions may come to naught.

Don't forget the truckers

They are much interested in food safety legislation recently introduced in California, as evidenced by this news update from Land Line online magazine. Most importantly, they are interested in getting paid.

The bills – introduced by state Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter – would make the California Department of Health Services responsible for regulating all leafy green produce in the state, including the authority to “quarantine, recall or destroy infected produce.”
This could be extremely important to truckers – including a number of OOIDA members – who were left with few or no options for their potentially contaminated loads, during an E. coli outbreak that was traced back to California bagged spinach in September 2006.
Many of those truckers were stuck with the financial burden of disposing of the potentially contaminated produce, or weren’t paid for their rejected loads.
Joe Rajkovacz, regulatory affairs specialist for OOIDA, said food safety guidelines have traditionally excluded the transportation angle, and Florez’ request for public input about his bills gives OOIDA the opportunity to have trucking issues brought to the table.
“There needs to be in writing somewhere that the shippers should be held accountable and should pay a trucker’s shipping charges when a recall has been ordered,” Rajkovacz said. “Truckers should not be held financially responsible if they have to turn around with a load that has been recalled – they should be paid for their mileage.”
Rajkovacz said shippers should also be responsible for dumping costs when produce is recalled.

Farm bill react

Here is coverage from the AP on the speech by Agriculture Secretary Johanns in Modesto.

"If you are a fruit and vegetable grower, I promise you, you will see a presence in farm policy that you have never seen before," Johanns said at a meeting with state officials.

Deal or no deal? If the industry had the option of taking what the Administration offers right now with no changes, should it take the deal? On one hand, the negative is elimination of the planting restriction on farm program acres. On the other hand, there is substantially more funding for nutrition programs and research initiatives - and those are funds that could be cut with ease by Congress.

I might have to take this deal if it were offered to me.

Patent produce

I did a Web search and found a few interesting patents were issued relating to fruits and vegetables in recent months.

Here is a patent that speaks of Cornell's biotechnology efforts to control papaya ripening.

Here is a new patent issued relating to seedless watermelon production.

A new method of microperforation for controlled atmosphere packaging is found in this patent.

A new yellow apple variety called Dalitron.

Others: biodegradable containers and a new antimicrobial treatment.